{"id":53479,"date":"2019-09-27T00:51:52","date_gmt":"2019-09-27T00:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/09\/27\/heres-what-first-ever-data-shows-about-military-family-suicides\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:59:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:59:34","slug":"heres-what-first-ever-data-shows-about-military-family-suicides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2019\/09\/27\/heres-what-first-ever-data-shows-about-military-family-suicides\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s what first-ever data shows about military family suicides"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The prevalence of suicide<\/a> among military family members is about the same or less than in the civilian population, according to a report from the Defense Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the first time data on military family member suicides has ever been released by the Defense Department. This report includes one year of data: 2017, so there\u2019s no basis of comparison for trends within the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data from 2017 is also the most recent available, because the information is partly dependent on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overall suicide rate among family members was 6.8 per 100,000 population in 2017, which is less than half the rate in the U.S. general population of 14.5 per 100,000. This measurement is the standard comparison used by the government for suicide rates in populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overall military spouse rate of suicide was 11.5 per 100,000; the rate for dependents was 3.8 per 100,000. Adjusting for age and gender, the rates were comparable to or lower than those in the general population, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m really glad they\u2019re finally collecting this data. It\u2019s a critical missing piece of information for us, to know how we can better support our military families,\u201d said Kim Ruocco, a military widow who is vice president of suicide prevention and postvention for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors<\/a>, or TAPS. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen more and more active duty members coming to us for support after the death of a dependent or spouse, including suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was kind of relieved to see the [suicide rates] appear to be lower than the civilian numbers,\u201d she said, especially after the years of war, stress and separations in military families. Suicide is a national problem, not just a military problem, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Ruocco and other advocates said the report also raises more questions, and illustrates the difficulty in tracking these numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis all reinforces how difficult it is to track military spouse suicide,\u201d said Shannon Razsadin, executive director of the Military Family Advisory Network, and a long-term proponent of tracking family member suicides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe existence of a report is a step in the right direction. However, the report raises a lot of questions. We need more information on how this is tracked and who is included in these counts,\u201d she said. \u201cWe know this is an imperfect science and incredibly difficult to track. It is clear that future studies and greater detail around the 2018 report are necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study and the reported rates of prevalence aren\u2019t limited to civilian spouses of service members. The numbers also include spouses who are active duty \u2014 dual military. Information was not immediately available from the Defense Department about the rates specific to civilian spouses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the report, including the dual military spouse suicides \u201callows the Department to better capture the full extent of suicide among family members.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 123 spouses who died by suicide in 2017, 14 percent, or about 17, were active duty, in dual military marriages.<\/p>\n\n\n\t